


Speculum

by AikoIsari



Series: Pokemon No Verse [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Coming of Age, Courage, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Platonic Relationships, Pokemon Journey, Trainers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-28
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2017-12-03 20:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/702472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AikoIsari/pseuds/AikoIsari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The journey is the path toward self-growth. For N, maybe it isn't his own journey that will answer his questions. Maybe it's that of what he could have been. Post Black, pre Black 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eyesight

**Author's Note:**

> This is the shortest prologue I've had in a long while, which saddens me immensely. Thankfully the other chapters reach my typical note and with that, I can do this without shame. I have a fair few chapters already written too!
> 
> The trainers for the most part belong to me, such as Nai. He is a very fun character. I hope you enjoy him and my interpretation of N. This is the only story I've written him. Feel free to correct me if I seem inaccurate.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this bridge between Black and Black 2. Spoilers might abound. Welcome to Speculum.

_**Prologue: Eyesight**_  
  
 _When I was small, I played with Pokemon. I loved them. They were my friends, my family. I wouldn't dare to want to be parted from them. When I was small, I was free. There was no mother, no woman to tuck me in, and a fake father, a man who I never saw. All I had was Anthea, Concordia, and my Pokemon. To me, that was enough. That was all that had to exist in my world, at least to me.  
  
But then I grew older. I began to hear things, began to learn them. I began meeting more Pokemon, bleeding, hurt, dying creatures. I understood them. They were suffering so much, destroyed by the care of my fellow creatures… my fellow Man. They trusted me despite it... and we became friends. Torn by the suffering of my friends, I began to hate. I began to be torn with the impulse to destroy.  
  
That was when Father returned.  
  
He was a cold, gruff man who almost never touched me. Instead the three people who followed me handled me. They were very careful, as though I were glass. My father sat on a chair, a throne, towering over me. For the first time, despite my height, I felt very small and weak. I did not feel like a cradled newborn, as I was with Anthea, but worthless, like one of my friends was to him, a doll.  
  
As I sat there fidgeting he spoke, his voice deep and sharp, an icy pool. He told me a truth, what was to be my truth. He told me of the evils of humans and that Pokemon all over the world were crying out for a savior. My ears pricked when I realized it was me. He told me I had to become strong and good, become worthy. He said he would teach me and I would learn. With his guidance I would become a hero, the hero of Pokemon, of the world. It was a grand dream, a beautiful ideal. And I accepted the dream and all of what went with it.  
  
That's right… it was a dream. Or perhaps… it was a nightmare.  
  
Years passed and I grew. I was crowned a king, hailed a hero. As far as I knew, this was fact._  
  
"N?" The teal-haired male jerked up his head. Below him was the large black dragon known to the world as Zekrom, Unova's god of lightning. It glanced at him with crimson eyes before turning back to the sky ahead. "You are brooding N," the dragon rumbled in its deep growl, reading his mind without doing so. It was a bad habit the dragon had developed since they had met. N never wondered how before, merely believing it was simply the magic of Pokemon. Now though… he wondered. He was questioning everything. The young male was not certain he liked that.  
  
"I am merely reminiscing," the trainer countered smoothly, not wanting to admit the truth. _I would never be suited to call upon Reshiram._  
  
Zekrom gave a snort, lightning sparking from his nose. "For you they are one and the same and you know that."  
  
N sighed. He could not deny that could he? "How is it you wonderful creatures can see through me so well?" he asked wistfully. There were no formulas to solve this, no wonders with which to understand this in a simple concrete manner. And he disliked that, immensely he disliked that and he didn't know what to do about it. There were so many things about this world to like and to dislike... and very few of them made any sense. Such as the wind which nearly took his hat.  
  
"We Pokemon are not always so wonderful N," grumbled the dragon in amusement and dissatisfaction. "And one thing that we have learned about creatures is that they are not always what they appear. It is a trait of the empathic to look past the flesh."  
  
N frowned. The words he could grasp but the meaning… "I am afraid I do not follow."  
  
Zekrom made a quiet huff that almost came out like a sigh. "As creatures grow older, most begin to hide the truth from others. In response to that, the skill of finding that is honed as well."  
  
The human stared in silence. "I… I do not understand. How would one see that?" If that skill was possible, perhaps he could have found his father's intentions much sooner and… but it was too late for that now wasn't it?  
  
"You learn it as you grow, N, as you age." It was rather patronizing and amused, judging by the sharp cut in the words.  
  
"Are you saying," N asked with a slight curt edge to his voice. "I am immature Zekrom?" He would not shout at the dragon no, but N knew how to be angry, at least a little bit. He ignored the fact that anger made him sound like his father. Even now, he did not wish to think of him.  
  
"No," replied the Electric dragon neutrally, as calm as ever. "I am saying you need to grow. You humans are the ones who decided people are mature or immature."  
  
"Hmm…" N murmured, chastened. "I suppose…"  
  
Zekrom turned to glance at the human he had chosen for a moment. "N… do not let your fear overwhelm your ideals. Change them yes, expand them, but not destroy them. I chose you as my hero for a reason N."  
  
"You chose me because Father created me for the purpose of you doing so," N stated bitterly. "No more, no less."  
  
"That is incorrect human," the dragon rebutted. "My reasons are my own and not the whims of a mortal."  
  
"If you believe so," N finished, ending the argument. He could not see this as possible but he wanted to avoid an argument with the legendary. It was bad enough he had to keep it in a Pokeball if he wanted to go about everyday life below. Arguments among friends ended in bitter separation. The first one was his fault alone. He would dislike another. "Where are we now?"  
  
"I believe we are near one of the settlements of the Hoenn region," Zekrom replied, glancing slowly around the sky. "Would you like to go down?"  
  
N hesitated a moment. What if someone saw Zekrom and exposed him? He could be arrested. But… he was hungry and tired. It was better to sleep on grass than the back of the dragon he had decided at some point in his wanderings, as he had been traveling for over a year. The base desires won out over all in the end, as they usually did for survival. "Yes," he stated firmly, hiding the fear that had briefly clouded him. "I would like to."  
  
The dragon made no comment on the inner turmoil claiming the human on his back, merely began to dive to the ground.  
  
…  
  
 _Don't look. Don't look…_  
  
Katrina flinched at the sound of a crash and a pair of squeals. The red-headed teen turned back to her work determinedly, set to ignore the sounds of the outside. Her expression smoothed out again and she scratched at the paper with her blue mechanical pencil. There was another crash and she gritted her teeth. Standing, she slammed her chair into the gap on her desk and stormed to the living room window. Opening it, she took a deep breath and shouted.  
  
 _"Keenan Walker!"_  
  
On the other side of the picket fence, a small, light-skinned male looked up dizzily, black locks falling over his face. The twelve year old groaned before giggling as a sandpapery tongue licked his face. The small Poochyena barked enthusiastically as the boy next to him slowly rose to his feet. "Muu…" the boy groaned. "What's Kat yelling about?" He blinked his turquoise eyes dazedly and walked over to the house. "Whassa matter Kat?" he mumbled at her, still disoriented from when he had crashed into the fence only moments before.  
  
Katrina growled before sighing, anger draining out of her. Her brother Nai was impossible to get angry at, especially when he looked at her with those dazed, innocent expressions like now. Besides, he was doing his job, keeping the day care babies occupied. She sighed again. "Nai, I  _know_  that Poochyena has a lot of energy. However it is not right to tackle each other into trees."  
  
"Nai didn't do it," the boy slurred. "Nai tried to stop Poochyena but he was pulled after."  
  
Katrina groaned. She could believe that. "Piku!" she snapped abruptly, looking above her to the roof where a yellow mouse was lazing on the shingles. "You're supposed to watch them." The Pikachu looked down at her and shrugged as if to say:  _not my problem toots_. She fumed. "Honestly, you're here to protect my brother…" She looked at the human boy, who had picked up the squirming Poochyena. "Take Piku and the three of you go play by the pond all right? Maybe that will calm him down."  
  
Nai nodded, recovered now. "Okay!" he chirped cheerily. "Let's go Piku!" The Pikachu nodded curtly and somersaulted off the roof, landing on the boy's head. Nai winced but ran on happily, putting down the Poochyena to run beside him. He had to calm the little guy down before the end of the week. Then he had to go in the Pokeball and meet his new trainer. That would be sad but… that meant Nai could make a friend too. Hooray!  
  
They reached the outskirts of the play area rather quickly. Poochyena went to sniff around, looking for a tree to mark. He buried his face in the flowers, covering his nose in yellow. Nai giggled, hearing the excited noises of tiny feet in the meadow grass. A Seedot leaped into his vision and Nai gently grabbed it. "Hello Birdseed," he chirped at the handless acorn, watching it climb gingerly up his head and stay there. The boy laughed again, only stopping when the Pikachu tackled the Grass-type off of his head and onto the ground. "Piku, stop that." His partner only rolled his eyes and then stiffened, ears shifting straight upward. Poochyena began to bark, abandoning his search to snarl at the air and even his own tail.  
  
Both Pokemon abruptly began to growl at the sky. Nai blinked and followed their gaze before a powerful wind ripped through the plain, sending Nai tumbling to the ground again. Nai stared up in a daze as a large black dragon flapped its powerful wings and settled itself on the meadow. Piku and the Poochyena were crying out their anger but Nai stared in silence at the sight of an older male riding the black dragon, staring down at him with indifferent grey eyes. No not indifferent, he realized after a few moments, but wary.  
  
The two stared at one another, not registering the feeling of the universe unhinging at their feet. 


	2. Eyesight

_Who is_ he?

The thought ran through their heads almost crazily as they looked at each other. To Nai, there was a tall, scruffy adult there, with hair as green as the tea he drank before bed. The odd cube around his pants reminded Nai of the pendant tucked under his shirt. His eyes, which were really, really grey, held a deep wariness and mistrust. Nai recognized it. It kinda made him think of a hurt Pokemon. Still it was odd. There were people that couldn't trust Nai? How silly! He would just have to show this person then. His clothes were plain and very dirty, Nai discovered. Perhaps this guy was an adventurer and that was why he had such a bad smell. Simon told him most trainers didn't shower on their routes or anything. Well that was no good. He would definitely wash himself. Nai didn't wrinkle his nose however. That would be rude. Despite all of this, he wasn't too concerned. Whoever he was, he was probably really cool.

N however, was terrified. Who was this boy and why was he out here? His two Pokemon were with him, or at least one was his. Their coats were glossy and fluffed, except the mouse (which he had no clue what it was) seemed more rugged. The boy himself was normally nothing unusual. However his eyes were odd, turquoise in color and wide, full of a brightness that to N felt nostalgic and painful. He wore simple clothes, all of which were scruffy with wood splinters and dirt.

"Hey Mister!" the boy began cheerfully, ignoring N's scrutiny. "That dragon seems nice! Can Nai say hello to him?"

N blinked.  _What a strange child._ He did not realize the hypocrisy in the statement. N was likely unaware of the concept of hypocrisy as a whole. Regardless he took in the boy's vigor and smile and felt a niggling pain rise in the back of his brain. "I suppose it is perfectly allowable," N decided after a moment, unable to smile. Nai, if that was his name, seemed not to notice and cheered. The mouse made a noise and N completely froze. That creature  _had_ to be a Pokemon; there were few other types of creatures in the world and they were mostly food and study subjects according to his father. But N… but he couldn't understand it. He couldn't understand this Pokemon. What… what was happening to him?

"N?" came Zekrom's voice booming over his head, which unfortunately the odd boy caught. He beamed.

"Your name is N?" he asked innocently, walking away from the legendary dragon for a moment to peer at the tall man. "That's a cool name! It's not as cool as Nai's of course but it fits you really well."

"How…" In dismay, his words had slowed. N struggled to regain his composure. "How do you know that?"

The boy frowned. It was such an unusual expression on his face. N found himself disliking it immensely yet could not grasp the cause. "Cause your big dragon said it," he said simply and he visibly leaned back against an air wall, hands behind his head. From that one stance, N found himself aware of a lot of things yet only one clear fact:  _this boy is like me._  N reeled inwardly at the possibility of another who understood Pokemon as he could. There was relief welling up with him that he wasn't alone… yet he was frightened. Was this one a fool boy too? Nai's eyes… he was afraid he'd see nothing there. Yet there was something wasn't there? The boy's eyes were vibrant, almost holding lives of their own. Strange… they reminded him of…

"N?" N looked at Zekrom in worry, fearing the creature was in pain. No, the creature appeared to be smiling, smiling without a mouth. While he had been thinking, Nai had climbed up onto his friend's back. On Zekrom's head rested the mouse, which was smirking at them all. "I believe you should calm yourself N. Nai is not harming me." The boy's fingers were gently moving along each scale, delicately feeling their way over the grooves between each of them. "Though I am curious to what he is doing."

Turquoise eyes peered down over at the dragon's face, his expression showing shiny white teeth. "Nai is checking your health!" the boy explained happily. "Your scales are really dirty and your muscles seem worn out. Does Mister N give his Pokemon vitamins? Or a bath?" N stared blankly at him, feeling slightly offended, especially when the boy smiled again. "Aw that's okay. Lots of trainers don't know about the vitamins thing and Pokemon usually clean themselves. Dragons can't really do that unless they molt like Dratini. Nai can fix this though! Does Mister N have any other Pokemon?"

Slowly N nodded. "Yes but why?" It was a standard for trainers to have more than one, was it not? Was it important that they didn't?

Nai beamed. "Cause Nai should check their condition too! Nai can tell Mister N is a good, good trainer but there are things  _great_  trainers don't know!" He spread his arms wide, apparently unaware of fear. "The  _Champion_  didn't know that those "Vitamins" people sell at Slateport are actually steroids. Good vitamins must be made from berry mixes." The boy said all of this with a firm nod, now stroking Zekrom's neck lightly. He frowned suddenly, pausing. "Can Nai see your Pokemon now?"

N jolted and reflexively released his team. He was trying to understand the whole "steroids thing. They sounded awful. By an unspoken signal, the mouse darted away as the five Unova Pokemon appeared. The puppy blinked and looked to follow before sitting on its rump and watching the odd human boy climb down to examine the newcomers, who were quite scary indeed. All of them seemed very puzzled as Nai stepped toward them. N was confused by his lack of concern or even alarm at the beautiful yet dangerous creatures that were leering at his small form.

Vanilluxe looked irritated, which wasn't a big surprise. It was a rather temperamental creature in both sides of the head. He tried to float away but Nai persisted, gently tapping the icicles with the tips of his fingers. The boy smiled pensively, voice floating from his lips in a rather melancholy way. "This one won't do well here Mister N," Nai stated. "Hoenn has a mostly tropical environment. He's really healthy though." N stared and returned the Ice-type.

"How do you know all of this?" He couldn't believe he was being educated in Pokemon care by a child. Yet what Nai was talking about were things N had never heard of, not even from Trainers with their Pokemon in Unova. Perhaps the Berry issue could be blamed on a lack of Berry farmers in Unova. Could it be he had missed commonplace facts in his travels? Or had Ghetsis simply kept them from him? Nai glanced up as if looking for someone then went back to examining Klinklang, carefully rubbing the gears with his thumbs.

"Nai's Papa runs a day-care center. Pokemon, especially Ditto, have to be in a healthy condition before breeding can be even thought of." Nai spoke these words mechanically, as though he hadn't been made only to memorize them, but reiterate them enough times for them to be a law. Hence why he continued apparently. "Pokemon Breeding requires two things to be effective: condition and compatibility. If the Pokemon aren't healthy there may be complications or even bad eggs." He didn't go into bad eggs, which made N wonder… and worry. "If Pokemon aren't compatible, they won't breed together. They may go visit other Pokemon and trainers won't have what they want."

"Do you… force it?" N was not particularly aware of breeding specifics but he had heard so many rumors about improper treatment that the very thought of breeding made him almost nauseous.

Nai looked up at him so fast it might have caused whiplash, eyes brimming with hurt. "Why would we do something like that? That's  _mean_!" N gaped. What could he say to that? The smaller boy looked away and gently patted Carracosta's shell. He paused. "His shell's not shiny. Hmm…" A squeak tore him out of what must have been deep thought. He waved at the arriving mouse, which had a human with him, a girl. He wasn't that blind yeesh.

"Keenan! What are you doing?" She was about five years younger than N himself, maybe six. She reminded him of Anthea. Nai beamed. Clearly, he didn't notice her expression twisting her mouth, looking at N with thinly veiled dismay.

"Nai is checking Mister N's Pokemon," he told her happily, taking the box from the yellow mouse. "Thank you Piku. Mister N's Pokemon need some work. Their diets are too reliant on basic ingredients. Also they need to be cleaned like this shell needs to be shiny. Can you help Nai do that?" Well, she obviously  _could_ , otherwise he wouldn't have asked.

She paused, looking quite exasperated and possibly dumbfounded. "Have you asked Mister…  _N_ … if this is okay?" the red-headed female asked carefully, glancing between the stunned tea-haired male and the many Pokemon. She knew, N realized, and curiosity tempted him. Why didn't Nai? Or if he did know, why didn't he care? It was like… like  _them_ all over again.

Nai looked at her seriously, turquoise eyes losing their shine for a dimmer aqua. "If somebody needs help Nai must help them. Nai shouldn't have to ask about that sort of important thing." With that, he took the box, opened it, and pulled out a sponge. "Kat, can Nai borrow your Lotad?" Kat sighed and tossed out a Pokeball, revealing what looked to N like a walking lilypad. The blue four-legged creature waddled to the lake and tried to gather some water on its pad before padding over to Nai. Nai took the sponge, wet it, and knelt over Carracosta. "You are well taken care of in the flesh," he told the turtle solemnly. "But your shell is really dirty. Don't move too much okay?" Carracosta glanced at N with confusion before submitting to the boy's firm command. N blinked. His stubborn Pokemon… consented? Hm…

"May I speak with you?" The woman, Kat, watched him with fiery brown eyes, glancing between himself and Nai as if the male might jump him at any moment. N hesitated and she went on. "Your Pokemon wouldn't be in better hands than those of my little brother. So  _may_  I speak with you?" Only now did he grasp that it hadn't been a request. He silently nodded and followed her.

 _Submitting to the whims of others again are we?_ An all-too-familiar voice hissed in his mind. N pushed it away, focusing on this woman. By his limited knowledge of people, he acknowledged she was actually quite pretty. However, the steely look reminded him of that dark-haired boy with the glasses, unforgivingly stern. "Are you planning on harming Nai?" She didn't even stop for pleasantries, glancing back at her brother's fierce scrubbing with a motherly concern so similar to Concordia that N almost screamed. "If you are I will turn you in right now. I don't care if you have no charges on your head." She clutched a Pokeball in another hand. "Nai is important to me."

"You don't have to say anything else ma'am," N hurriedly interjected, raising his hands. His voice sped with his heartbeat, something he feared would break his chest. "I promise I won't harm him. Rather… he came over to me."

Expecting a blow anyway, he was surprised to see Kat sigh. "Of course. My apologies." She shook her head. "He's like that. It's hard for me to remember he's actually twelve. If something is important to him, Keenan won't let it go. Like that nickname of his…" She shook her head and offered him a tiny, strained smile. "Why don't we get you to a bath? I'm sure you'd like one…" Kat seemed reluctant to offer and he almost turned her down.

"What about my Pokemon," N asked warily, looking to see Nai rubbing the shell of Carracosta's stomach with some odd fluid.

"There's no one safer to leave them with than Nai," she assured again. "He's been caring for babies since he was one I swear." Kat smiled and in response he lifted his lips. His friends seemed all right… actually they seemed very happy. So Pokemon could be happy with more than their own trainers. Slowly N nodded and followed her. She was silent a moment as they passed the hardworking preteen .Then she commented. "That little mouse there is a Pikachu. You don't really see them in Unova."

"A Pikachu…" N murmured slowly. "Is that why I couldn't understand it?"

Kat looked at him quizzically, as if wondering how he could not fill the shoes his legend gave him. "Nai understands your Pokemon just fine. Then again..." The young woman only shrugged. "I suppose in your case..."

"In my case?" he repeated, not liking the wording.

Kat nodded dismissively. "All you've cared about is Pokemon as beings, as  _existing_. You've never stopped to figure out what that means."

It was like Zekrom again, talking to him as if they were wiser than the male himself. He would not disagree that he was not as clever as his father or even as understanding as  _they_ had been, but to be called a fool over and over only became a more bitter draught as time passed. Kat was younger than him even by the looks of things, not a trainer or even someone who considered Pokemon more than pets. What did she know? How could she understand?

He remained silent as he followed, glancing back again and again to see his Pokemon smiling. Even Carracosta and Vanilluxe in his Pokeball, his most antisocial friends, were taking well to this unnatural child.

N wasn't sure he found that fair.

…

It was nightfall when Nai finally came home, following with four of N's friends trooping after him. The older man had to admit, they looked much healthier. Zoroark had the smaller male on his shoulders and that Pikachu popped out of his fur. That odd pooch was tripping over its own feet as it walked into the large house. The first thing Nai did was tumble from Zoroark and onto N's unsuspecting lap. He placed a bag in the male's hands.

"Mix these with your Pokemon's food. Don't worry, Nai made sure they knew who got what. Do you like our house? It's nice and big so the Pokemon have lots of places to run around!" Without waiting for an answer to anything he babbled out, Nai plopped down to the floor and went to go sit by the door. The mouse trotted after him, curling up in his arms. "Kat~," Nai whined. "Can you use your telepathy to make Simon get here faster?"

"He's deaf to the cries of the innocent," she replied from the kitchen. He was grateful she was in there and not glaring at him like she had been a few hours ago. At least that had stopped after he showered. As much as he despised admitting it, he had needed one. "Why do you think he went to work in Devon Corp?"

"That's not nice Kat," Nai told her with a giggle. N wondered if the boy even knew what they were talking about. N himself wasn't sure but he kept his face mercifully blank.

"No but it's stereotypical," she replied, walking out with apple fritters. "At least it's better than Dad… where ever that lazy bum is…" N winced at the mention of a father. He'd rather like to forget his. If either of them saw, they didn't comment, not even Kat as she placed the tray on the table. She sat down, completely unconcerned by N's presence now. Did Nai just destroy hostility or something?

"Mister N!" the aforementioned said with sudden excitement. "Zekrom stayed by the lake. He said he liked the air. He wanted me to tell you to not go out and look for him because you'll give him unwanted attention running around like that." With that he turned back to the door, smiling at it patiently. The odd pooch from before began to nudge N's leg with his nose, firmly placing his paws on the man's knee. N smiled a little. Maybe he couldn't understand these Pokemon, but he did love the creatures dearly, even now. Reaching out, he went to let the Pokemon sniff his hand. Overjoyed by the attention, it proceeded to bark very loudly and very gently. Kat went to shush the creature but N shook his head. He wanted to listen. He wanted to understand. It was worth the ear pain.

Nai watched him throughout, looking befuddled and curious. Then his whole body shifted toward the door and the second it open he went streaking down the hall, tackling the stranger out of it. "SIMON~" Kat groaned as there was a strangled, deep-voiced yelp from the doorway. N was thrown out of his fierce concentration at the sound of Nai's overly excited chattering to the person in the doorway.  _I didn't know kids could_ have _that much energy,_ N thought as Nai clung to the young man's shoulder, jabbering delightedly about some topics he couldn't grasp from the sheer  _speed_ of the boy's words.

Suddenly he stopped and looked at N. "Mister N! This is Simon, my brother!" As though that weren't obvious. N examined the male, who seemed almost as old as N himself. He felt older however, a deep-set exhaustion in his eyes even as he fondly hugged the youngest member of the family. Nai's pure exuberance took away a few of the early age lines from his face. The eyes, brown and thoughtful, did not sparkle with the same animosity Kat had shown him, but merely with an inquisitive pause. He seemed to accept Nai's innocence and lack of panic on the matter, so he merely offered his free hand to the thin tea-green –haired male to shake.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," he told N gravely as the other shook his hand. The voice that greeted him was young and deep, like a rich beer that if you savored you could taste the musk of in the air. The Poochyena in N's lap barked his own greeting and Simon smiled a bit more. "Nai has taken quite a shine to you," he commented, putting the aforementioned preteen down so he could run off with the puppy Pokemon. "That's good… very good actually." He motioned that N would join him on the couch. N hesitated before following, now deprived of a Pokemon to hug. This was strange, very strange, especially when Kat patiently shut the living room door behind Nai, muffling his delighted cries and leaving N alone with his Pokemon and these two strange people. Also that… Pikachu was there, sitting on a couch arm with an amused smirk on his face.

At that moment, Simon's grave seriousness changed and he stroked the wisps of dark hair forming at his chin, a smirk curling at his lips. "So…" he drawled quietly, his deep voice flickering with some dark amusement. "You're  _that_  N are you?" He examined him, rags to rags. "Hmm… this works out all right then."

"Simon," Kat warned dangerously, her eyes flickering with mistrust. She was standing in front of the living room door, arms crossed with defiance. He laughed quietly.

"You worry too much." Simon watched N over the lenses of his rimless glasses. "I know this is quite sudden, but I have a favor to ask of you." He paused slowly for a breath. "Would you kindly take my brother around the Hoenn region?"


	3. Footsteps

_**Chapter 2: Footsteps** _

"I… I'm sorry?"

N swore he had heard incorrectly. Yet even as Katherine grimaced, Simon's expression didn't change in the slightest, cool and earnest. N rushed to add to his sentence, grateful to see he wasn't the only one confused by this. "We've just met. Wouldn't it be… too much to ask such a request of me?" The Pikachu let out a high-pitched sound almost like a snort.

Simon sighed."Please allow me to be frank with you." N stared dumbly for a moment, not understanding the figure of speech. Then he nodded slowly in carefully appearing clarity. The other continued patiently. "Sir, my brother, as you probably can tell, is not like ordinary children. He and you are rather similar in the regard of caring for Pokemon. However, unlike him you have taken a glimpse of the world." He folded his hands, still with that enigmatic look that N allowed himself to consider scholarly. "Maybe you are not well-versed in it as much as you'd like to be. However, my brother is young and rather childlike. I want him to take a journey but I fear he will be taken advantage of."  _As you have been._

"You're sure I won't?" N challenged quietly, giving the best glare he could muster. It scared him that the young man disregarded it. And why wouldn't Katherine stop staring at him? She was like a Vullaby… or maybe a Braviary. He was never sure which one never stopped glaring. Then again, if he was a woman with a clearly… innocent little brother, he would certainly be rather protective himself… right?

Simon smiled with what appeared to be slight malice. "I am under the probable suspicion that you don't know how." N resisted the flush that ran up his face. He was right… but still. N had the sneaking suspicion that Nai was nicest of the family… or simply the least devious. Around the room, N watched his Pokemon grow quiet, as though perhaps they had come to their own decisions. He wanted to ask. He wanted to speak so, so desperately. However… somehow it felt  _wrong_  to do that, like it would flaunt that wonderful ability in some way.

"I-In any case…" N struggled to find a way out of this. "Why would you ask this of me? Whether I could do as you fear others would or not, what makes you believe I am the most suitable for the task?"

Simon gestured loosely around him with that lopsided smirk. Already, N was beginning to hate that look. "Nai likes your company."

"Nai likes everyone," Kat objected, arching a finely tweezed eyebrow and shaking her head. The Pikachu snorted again and for a moment N thought he could hear the words:  _I think you meant Nai is too stupid to_ dislike  _anyone._ Kat glowered at the mouse; daring the creature to comment again anyway. It waved a lazy paw before marching up to N's Zoroark and beginning to chatter at him. The Pokemon raised an eyebrow and listened. N wished his Pokemon would say something,  _anything_  to help him figure out what was going on.

Simon chuckled at his sister's words before shaking his head. "Let me phrase this better, for all of our sakes. We can have you arrested as a wanted criminal Mr. N." The frank words would have made many other men quail but N admittedly knew very little on the justice system of the world they lived so the threat rather zoomed over his head. The little he gleaned from  _that man's_  mutterings was that it was not a good place to be and it was lucky  _he_  had been locked there. "You willfully committed a crime and here in Hoenn, we tend to be rather twitchy about that sort of thing. Rayquaza wasn't our idea of a good time." Kat shook her head and Simon shot her a frown.

"Rayquaza… he calmed the wrath of Groudon and Kyogre…" N pondered aloud. "It… was… so long ago." Anthea had told him of it, of when humans had foolishly reawakened two of the great Titans and led them to do battle. She had said someone had led Rayquaza to calm their fury but if the humans had not done the horrible act, nothing would have gone so wrong.

"Eleven years," Simon confirmed. His voice was somber."And Hoenn hasn't let it go, especially with Galactic having done what they did. People are easily able to given into fear Mr. N." He sighed very gently, fixing the taller man with a patient, patronizing look. "No matter where you go, or what you do alone, you will have the mark of what you did with Team Plasma on you. And if you try to find your answers here, alone, it will be all the worse." He took a deep breath, as though steadying himself for his next words. "Nai is a child Mr. N. Children can be easy to sway. I do not want…  _my_  baby brother… to end up swayed by people with those sorts of thoughts."

_I don't want him to end up like you._

N felt his temper bubble underneath his Adam's apple. He was  _not_ some kind of freak of nature… was he?

" _You think a_ freak _like you can have a human heart?"_

Maybe he was. N's tea-green eyes dimmed as he thought about it, wondered at the old man's parting words, his hateful screams. What… what was wrong with that man?

There was a soft knock at the door. Kat glowered gently at the noise. "Were you listening Nai?"

"Listening to what?" The boy replied as he entered the room, practically flying inside. Simon chuckled and the tension eased out of the large living room. Nai was bouncing on the balls of his feet, looking from adult to adult as though trying to remember just who he needed to talk to. Then he waved at Katherina, bounding over with a phone in one hand. "Client call~" he reported delightedly before whistling and leaving the room. The Pikachu ran after him at this, sighing like an old man.

" _Feckin' lovable dork,"_ it squeaked, leaving N completely and utterly puzzled by the going's on. He really wished he could understand…

 _Perhaps this is how I made_ them  _feel,_ he thought with a sudden rush of guilt as Katherina held the phone and spoke in a quiet, pleasant murmur. Guilt… he was very familiar with that. He was always guilty of being a human being, a creature which hurt the creatures he had been raised to love. He had been wrong though on that… hadn't he? There were good humans and good Pokemon… but there had been abused ones. So Ghetsis hadn't lied entirely… but he hadn't told the truth either. Was that what humans did? Did they tell half-truths that could really be one way or the other?

" _No one point of view has the right answers,"_ whispered a voice in his ear, solemn, almost heartbroken in its commentary. He ignored it the best he could, looking instead at the one called Simon. N didn't know what the right response was but… he was certain he could not make it. The green-haired male opened his mouth to tell him so but abruptly clapped it shut, feeling utterly discomforted.

The other male smiled earnestly, mischief and serious disappearing into a kindness that reminded him of a veil. It made him think of Father's veil. "I'll let you think this over. If you agree, wonderful. If you do not, that is your choice too. Choose what you feel is right. That is the way people really live, at least…" He rose to his feet. "That's what I believe." Simon left the room, leaving his sister to glare at N for a moment.

N frowned in both puzzlement and dismay. He only barely grasped why he had been asked, but certainly not what. He was to protect this child? From what? He barely knew what threats looked like. He hadn't seen one until it was right in front of his nose and screaming at him with so much hate and rage he thought the man's veins would burst. Maybe he could ask his Pokemon. They were usually wiser than he was, except Vanilluxe, who was simply angrier than he was. So N wandered outside to sit in the grassy yard. His Pokemon followed with curiosity, never trepidation. They were never frightened or hateful with humans like other Pokemon of his. They were merely interested in them, distrustful only due to the strangeness. Or because of N? He had never asked.

The cool evening air brushed at his hair, the uneven strands trembling in the breeze. "What do you think?" he finally asked the four of them, each pair of eyes glowing gently in the dark. None of them answered, not even the loyal Zoroark who had been by his side longer than almost everyone. For his kit, he had said when the creature had joined him, but he had never specified which. N shook his head quietly. No Pokemon considered humans their children. Sure they likely cared for them as such, but none of them…

" _He is like a baby trying to leave the nest. I will not let you knock him to the ground."_

" _She is my cub. Good parents do not abandon their cubs."_

" _N, aren't you as bad as you call others? Because if Pokemon are raised in captivity, do they know anything else? Would you really doom them to be that lonely?"_

"Mr. N?"

N turned to Nai, noticing that he was carrying the yellow mouse in his arms. It seemed to be resisting the urge to protest, if only because the boy didn't seem all too enthused about letting go. The turquoise human eyes were quizzical, a raw confusion that was simply all too present. "Did Simon make you do something?" the boy asked, expression slowly slumping itself into a frown. "Piku said he was saying some weird things… wouldn't tell me what they were…"

He hesitated. Could he explain all of this to such a young boy? He hadn't been able to explain his dreams back then; how could interpret what he did not know now? "I…" he began, the word leaving his lips unbidden, trailing off into a sheepish quiet.

Nai's large eyes widened further. "Did they  _threaten_ you Mr. N?" Before the man could answer him, Nai babbled on. "Oh, if they did, I'm gonna smack Simon on the head. That's not nice to do to new friends, not at all! Don't listen to them Mr. N," he then informed the surprised green-haired man. "You can do whatever you want to do as long as it feels right. You don't think about Nai or Piku or their feelings if they aren't following your heart."

"Even… if it hurts someone?" he asked incredulously.

Nai blinked at him slowly before tilting his head. "Well, sometimes people have to be hurt. And as long as you aren't hurting them for the sake of hurting them, it's okay to mess up once in a while. Besides, your heart doesn't lie. Not now, not ever." Piku smirked at this, content.

 _But my heart told me to help the Pokemon._ "What if your heart… what if it's wrong?"

Nai blinked at him slowly. "Well maybe you didn't read it right." With that, the boy ran out into the yard, followed by that small, odd dog. "Stop it Poochy," the boy scolded as it attempted to nip at his ankles. "What'll happen if you do that for your new trainer? That would be rude!" The dog whined and stopped, looking mollified.

N laughed despite himself, feeling a genuine smile rise to his lips over exhaustion. "That Pokemon… what is it exactly?"

Nai glanced at him, auburn hair swinging over his eyes. "Poochy is a Poochyena, a small dog Pokemon. I have to go take him to his trainer tomorrow." He patted the pup's head and smiled fondly. "New trainer time for you Poochy!" Poochy barked, nodding his brisk and eternally gleeful approval.

" _I can't wait!"_ squealed the grey dog.  _"I hope I can run on water!"_

N blinked slowly in surprise and Nai merely giggled. "Silly Poochy! Dogs don't run on water; they swim!" The dog huffed, clearly thinking running on water should be perfectly possible. Nai giggled again and in reply Poochy tackled him to the ground. N smiled to himself. This felt… nice… to him, like when he was a child… before that man… before everything…

"Say… Nai…" For some reason, his throat caught at the boy's name, aching slightly as the twelve-year-old looked at him, gently shoving the Pokemon off. "What kind of trainer… is Poochy going to?"

"Dunno," Nai replied as the yellow rat dragged the puppy away by his tail. "That's why I have to go with him. I just  _gotta_  know!" Nai sounded excited; anticipating what to him must seem like a great adventure. "Maybe Nai will make a friend this time! That would be so cool!" Piku let out an irritable squeak and Nai patted his head. "Different than you and Poochy, promise. Nai can't talk to _just_  Pokemon you know." Piku's ears twitched as it huffed, clearly believing otherwise. Nai's optimism didn't reach N's frown, which was noticed. "Mr. N? Are you worried about Poochy?"

N jumped. "I… well, yes I am."

The preteen beamed at him. "Then why don't you come with Nai?" Earning a bemused look, Nai explained. "Nai is going tomorrow to start to Petalburg City. If Nai is careful, it will only take three days."

"Theh-three days?" N yelped. It only took half a day to get from Nuvema to Accumula! Maybe a day if you stretched out some captures. Nai nodded and Piku rolled his eyes. N was beginning to suspect the creature disliked him. Why would it though? "Are you-will you be all right by yourself?"

Nai nodded brightly. "Nai will have Piku with him so he'll be fine! Also, Nai knows others who can help him! So…" He gave the older a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it!"

Despite himself, N found himself worrying. Now he could see what Simon meant, Unshakable optimism, just like  _them,_  but none of their experience or strength, none of their natural suspicion. He was guileless, hopeful, unready for this world.  _Could I really leave him to journey alone? Like Father let me journey alone?_

" _That was different,"_  the cold chill hummed. " _You were meant to be perfect. That one is flawed. Let him fall."_

"Why," he whispered to the air. "Why would I do such a thing?"

The boy looked at him. "Are you all right Mr. N?" N nodded slowly, mentally shaking his head. No. He would not be like that man. He would help this child, this person who was like him. There would be no other non-human humans like him. There could not be any more sad existences. Also… if that Pokemon got hurt, it would be his responsibility to help it right? Right.

"Nai," he began softly. "Could I perhaps… go with you?" Silently he closed his eyes, waiting for the cheerful yet blunt refusal. Nai probably thought he could take care of himself.

The child surprised him yet again however. "Yeah! Adventures are more fun with people!" He sobered quickly. "But Zekrom will have to hide. Are you okay with that Mr. N?"

N nodded slightly. It was a small price to pay, he realized, for the safety of a new friend and the protection of a child. He wondered if he could make his father see that. Looking up into the house, he saw Simon smirking at him a little before leaving his vision.

_That guy… sure is scary._

…

Zekrom lounged in the glade, resting in the grass with contentment. No one came out here, he realized, hence why the Pokemon were so calm. Or perhaps they were because the people were. He could not deny how peaceful this place was, how serene the air felt. It was not entirely healthy air, but like another place, they had grass instead of city streets and trees over skyscrapers. It was a sweet place, warm and light. No wonder that child lived here, in this peaceful place.

That child had dreams. The dragon would have known that even if he was not the Bearer of Ideals. The child had a shine. Nai had an inner, gentle shine that simply outweighed fear. He would be a wonder at whatever he did, whatever good or evil that would be. He hoped the child would do choose a proper path, a warm one with sunlight and friends. He was too much like N and N still had strayed off his path. No matter his environment, the lad had only himself to blame. The man would not like to know that, admit it. However, it was a deep truth, one that the dragon itself could not say. Reshiram would of course, damn consequences. He could not lie; that other half of his.

"Perhaps the child will be of help," he thought wistfully. N was very lonely… and loneliness made people very bitter, humans and Pokemon alike. Nai, in N's eyes, must appear very lonely. However, he was too young to see what Zekrom could. He was too human to feel that peace. The second Nai's hand had rested on his neck; he had been easy to read.

Otherwise Zekrom would have simply thrown him off.

" _What is your dream Nai?"_ he had asked the boy while he worked. Nai had looked at him and smiled, unabashed by the simplicity of his answer.

" _Nai wants friends!"_

Is that all, someone would say with a scoff to this child. Anyone can do that. Dream a bit bigger. N's dream had once been to separate all humans and Pokemon. His dream had not only failed, but tore his heart to pieces. It was nice to have a great dream that encompassed the world. However, perhaps Nai's tiny dream was enough for him. To not be the best, but to help anyone who needed it… maybe that was where his sunlight came from.

Perhaps.


	4. Reputations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait!

Nai yawned softly, waving at the moon. "Hi Mr. Moon!" he called quietly from his perch in a large tree. He should be asleep. He wasn't tired though, like he usually was. Rather, today had been just… so… _fun_! He got to leave tomorrow and go all the way to Petalburg. Usually, he didn't get to go past Oldale. Maybe he would get to go farther this time. He thought that would be fun. Maybe this would be his chance to cross the sea. They were ambitious dreams, he knew that, but he couldn't help but wonder.

He wondered what the outside world was like.

Mr. N was from the outside world and he was pretty cool, so it couldn't be that bad. He was kind of skittish and  _definitely_  a rather weird person. However, he liked Pokemon and his Pokemon liked him. To Nai, that was simply enough. Clearly though, it wasn't enough for Kat. Kat needed these silly long explanations and reassurances that were easy to lie about. Pokemon could tell lies when they talked too, but body language never lied. If Nai was good at anything after helping with lots of babies, particularly Zigzagoon, he knew body language.

He was okay with this though. That was her right. That was okay for Kat.

_"Kid, there is this wonderful thing called sleep. You need to try it."_

Piku yawned as the human turned to look down at him, turquoise eyes widening with surprise and delight. Without a word, he opened his arms for Piku to leap into. The furry mouse almost missed, but Nai's thin arms managed to reach a single paw, pulling his disgruntled partner into his chest. "Nai… gotcha!" He giggled and pulled himself back up to staring at the moon. He really liked watching the moon. It didn't hurt his eyes, like the sun did. "Hey… Piku… we're gonna go far away someday… right?"

Piku cocked his head to the right, ear drooping gently down.  _"Everyone goes far away someday, Nai,"_  he replied, confused.

"Oh, you  _know_ ," Nai sighed. "Like… a place where Nai learns how to be strong and grow up, where there are lots of people to smile at and a bunch of sadness to make better! That kind of away is where he wants to go Piku!" His words fumbled in his mouth, making Piku laugh.

_"Yeah, yeah I know Nai. I know…"_  He shook his head. Sometimes Nai could be so complex for such a simpleminded boy. Well, Nai was his simpleminded boy and gosh darn it all, he would keep him safe when he needed to.  _"Nai?"_  Nai grunted softly, shifting to lay back on his spine.  _"Why are you letting that weird guy come with us?"_

Nai glanced at Piku, turquoise eyes bright with a small lingering fury. "Not you too, Piku…" he whined. "Nai is doing this because Mr. N is a good person. He's just really mixed up, that's all!"

"And just what is he  _mixed up_  about Nai?"

Nai yelped and rolled out of the tree. Simon caught him, gentle yet admonishing smile on his lips. "Well, Nai?" he hummed.

"Simon!" his little brother grumbled. "Don't do that! It's  _weird_!" Simon chuckled and did not reply to this. Instead, he adjusted his brother, who was getting astonishingly heavy now that he had gotten past that stage of small and throwable, to rest against his chest. The young man sat down, cradling the bony, albeit strong form of his small brother. Nai blinked his large turquoise eyes up at his big brother and stared. "Why is everyone all freaked out over Mr. N anyway?" The boy's voice cracked a little at the last word, failing to sound deep and adult-like as he was trying to be. "He's just… not sure of stuff. Nobody's letting him figure it out either."

Nai looked away from Simon's old, rather frightening gaze. He loved the man, but gosh, Simon knew how to make anybody be uncomfortable. Jeez. "You have to give Mr. N a while. He'll be sure when he has to be sure."

"Are you saying that man is slow?" the elder teased, mussing his brother's hair.

Nai frowned. "Well… yeah."

Piku sighed and gently bopped the human with his tail. _"You're such a kid, Nai."_

"… Nai isn't ready to grow up yet."

_"We know Nai. You can take your time too."_

...

When the morning sun streamed onto his eyelids, N noted how dim it seemed. Opening his eyes, he recognized the thin film of a curtain by his sleeping spot.  _Ah… that's right. Nai made me stay the night._

Well, to be more accurate, Nai didn't force him to. N sincerely doubted that Nai could absolutely force anyone to do anything they didn't want to. It was just a soft, human bed was a convincing argument when coupled with exhaustion. He chuckled to himself at this and sat up. It was quite difficult; his limbs felt rather like taffy.

Zoroark flicked open an eye. _"N, glad to see you with us living folk."_  N chuckled a little bit again and forced his legs to dangle over the edge of the mattress.  _"Clean that up, you slob."_  He gave the fox a look of amusement and stood, moving to make the bed as he had since he was a child. At least, he could do this much right.

"What time is it?" he said to the Zoroark, watching him pick at his claws in an almost human sort of way. Once, N had heard that the Zoroark had spent many years in the illusion of a human. He did not believe so, but the Zoroark never confirmed or denied such a thing, it had to be taken as a rather profound and oddly jarring truth, for a Pokemon who followed the path to the separation of humans and Pokemon at any rate.

In reply to his query, Zoroark jerked his head toward the innocuous clock on the wall. It was early morning, but not so early that it was a time to go back to sleep. So… with a small sigh and a crack of limbs, he left the room, quietly shutting the door to not wake anyone else.

He needn't have worried, he found moments later. All three of the family members were in the living room. Nai was, as seemed natural for him, plopped on the floor. Poochy was seemingly gnawing towards his fingers and they appeared to be in a wrestling match. It had been a while since he had played with Pokemon so roughly.

_"Father, what if I break them?"_

_"Sometimes, you must break what you love. You will be a king someday, and a king that will break the spirits of his people."_

"G'morning Mister N!" Nai called over the snarls and playful yips of the Poochyena, breaking him free of the reverie. "Was the night time fun?"

N blinked slowly, flabbergasted a moment. Simon, who turned the pages of his paper, helpfully said, "He's asking if you slept well." Nai pouted, but did not seem to disagree. At this, the man nodded and the child grinned, pacified.  _If only all of my questions could be settled so easily,_  N thought. Katherina's form bustled around food. "Do you eat meat, sir?" N almost felt bile in his throat at the thought. Seeing his grimace, Simon smiled; a slightly mischievous look on such a dangerous man. "Good, neither do we." He went back to the newsprint. "Nai, go feed the babies. Kat should be done then."

"Yes sir!" Nai's chirp was almost infectious, echoed by Poochy's muffled barking. He turned to N, Piku none-too-lightly smacking the puppy with his tail. "Do you want to help Mister N?" N stared, a little befuddled. He had never worked with Pokemon in this setting before. Perhaps it could prove to be educational. Slowly, N nodded and earned a quick little hug. "Thanks!" N blinked.  _They hugged me too…_

_"Pokemon do that to keep their young safe. Humans do it to feel safe. You're okay with me N. I promise."_

N shook his head. He couldn't think about those things at the moment. Nai wanted his help. He had always wondered what entailed how breeding facilities worked. As he walked forward, Nai glanced back and gave him a cheery wave. His heart, which he hadn't even realized had been thumping incredibly loudly, seemed to relax the tiniest bit. Piku, who had been toddling along with Poochy's mouth clamped to his tail, threw the dog unceremoniously into the back of N's legs.  _"Get 'er movin, idjit man. Got a lot of mouths to feed."_

"Oh, my apologies." N hurried after the rapid footsteps that were Nai's, while the two Pokemon tottered after N himself.

Piku made a squeaking noise that sounded like laughter. _"Hey, you're learning already."_  He bounded off, leaping to rest on Nai's head with a little grin. N slowly ambled after them, pausing behind the doorway at Katrina's voice.

"Simon, are you sure that-"

"It's certainly better than him going alone. He's twelve years old, yes, long past the typical age of most trainers, but he's also _Nai._  If he doesn't go now, he never will, Katrina. He will stay here forever because you and I wish him to. That isn't right, sister, no matter what Father told us. He must grow up someday, and he knows it."

"Yes, but with  _that_  man?" Katrina's incredulous dislike hurt a little, in some place that he had once used to deny was his humanity. "He was a-"

"An innocent, a manipulated piece under a monster's strings if we must be formal about it. He has experience Katrina. He grew. We can trust him with Nai. Nai will keep him safe."

"Oh for Arceus' sake, stop calling him that! He's Keenan; he's just a child!"

"And you're just an outsider." There was a rustling snap of paper being straightened. Katrina fell helplessly silent and as quietly as he could, N retreated.

_Why are humans so confusing?_

_"They just are, N. That's why we have to liberate Pokemon from them."_

For the third time today, N tried to shake himself out of it. However, he found himself in a great deal of confusion. Simon... he was rather like the humans he had seen be cruel. However, Katrina... he didn't quite understand her. Do humans treat humans differently? Well, that was a silly question. Of course they did. It was only natural. They were the same species and like Pokemon with Pokemon, they treated one another with... perhaps familiarity. So could they be cruel to each other as they could be cruel to Pokemon? Or... as Simon seemed to be, could they be worse? Even to him, those last words were cutting, cruel. What was the aim of being that harsh?

"Mr. N!"

The voice of Nai, clear as a pool, called over to him from the side of a small picket fence. "Hurry Mister N!" the boy called, waving an arm like a windmill. "One is hatching!" He sounded so excited about it, about something that he had to have seen thousands of times. It was just that incredible. Or Nai was just that innocent, as this whole family seemed to claim. Just like him, innocent to the outside world. He was unperturbed by the darkness that N implied, or perhaps oblivious. Why would you want to ruin that in a child?

"He might break if you don't," N whispered, suddenly understanding, at least a little. He walked over to see it, the wonder of life. It glowed and crackled, like electricity. Despite having seen this more than once, N found his eyes drawn and stuck as the top of the shell wobbled and shook, before breaking off. Liquid dribbled to the ground and Nai shook his head. Removing his jacket, he trotted over to a nearby fence and opened a door. Two Pokemon carefully trotted out, each a blue and yellow beast. They reminded him of dogs in a way.

Nai gently placed a hand on the second one's head. "It's okay Mama, Nai's taking you over right now." The creature growled softly, glaring furiously at N as well as anything that moved. "That's Mr. N. He's good with Pokemon, don't worry. You're scaring him." N bit his tongue to prevent the almost childish denial from leaving his lips. He was not frightened. Pokemon did not cow him. That expression however... the growling anger did give him chills. Katrina wore it, various Pokemon wore it as well. They were protective of their young.

That Pokemon, whatever it was, could have been no more different. Yet there was Nai, his hand soothing upon the Pokemon's fur. Now that he looked, each fur was sparking, hackles raised higher and higher. Nai did not remove his hand, a gesture N knew he himself would mimic if he could and stepped to the other gate. He opened it one handed, fumbling with the lock. The first, male, trotted in. Though he was not sparking, there was a stiff movement in his leg muscles and it was clear that if he wasn't walking he would be springing over the egg and approaching baby like any father with a paternal instinct.

_If only mine had been so kind..._

The female went in, practically bounding inside to touch the fur of her baby, which was slowly appearing through the light. Nai tapped him on the shoulder and pointed behind him. There was a stack of bowls next to a few bags. N blinked but watched Nai creep, oddly quiet, past him. From the fenced area, he began to hear soft growls and croons. They were not particularly noisy, but they made a familiar song to the creatures in Pinwheel Forest. What was the emotion of the song? He could not remember.

Nai gestured for him and pointed at the bags. It was the same food, he realized, and gently began to pour the little nuggets into the bowls.

"Isn't this degrading?" N whispered, before almost clamping a hand to his mouth in surprise.

Nai shook his head. "When Pokemon are little, they need the same nutrients," he said. Once again, the words were spoken with the calm by-roteness that even after only a day seemed profoundly un-Nai-like. "Otherwise, we'd give them berries or plants mixed with meat because Pokemon need the protein. The pellets are easy to digest and are good for the mother's milk." He continued to fill the bowls, placing them carefully in each fenced area. "Also, we aren't allowed to use specific foods or blends without Trainer permission or Pokemon permission. It's bad."

N swallowed. "How so?"

Nai only shrugged. "Pokemon can be allergic to stuff too. Piku's allergic to the Pinap berry. Simon could get in trouble if the wrong food was given to the Pokemon whether the allergy was known or not." He continued to walk, humming a little bit. "Might even go to jail. So everyone gets the same thing unless asked."

For a moment, N wanted to speak. He wanted to ask why Nai spoke the way he did. He wanted to know who Nai's parents were, and why he was a breeder. For the first time, he found himself wanting to know. Then... he swallowed it. He did not grasp why he had done so, but the recollection of the argument in the house made him fall still and simply watch Nai at work.

Instead however, it seemed Nai had something to say. "Mr. N?" N looked at him, a difficult task in his swimming thoughts. "Nai is looking forward to going with you Mr. N. He can't wait to see your place." He lifted up an egg delicately and cradled it in his arms. "Nai has waited a long time to go somewhere and he is happy it is with a new friend."

N wasn't certain what he could say to that.

* * *

Standing outside of the front door, N watched Nai practically dance around Poochy, giggling with excitement. The backpack on his back was hand-me-down, patches in awkward places and pockets fraying at the ends of the fabric. Nai naturally took no notice. N twitched shyly, uncomfortably pressing the weight of Zekrom's Pokeball in his pants pocket. Oh, how he  _hated_  these things. It wasn't as though great, beautiful dragons belonged inside tiny, ugly spaces any more than small Pikachu and Piku was perched carelessly on Nai's arm. N found that unfair.

Kat brushed past N, making him stumble. She didn't even appear to notice, business frown registering on her face and staying there. She tucked a paper into Nai's bag and pushed at his back. "Be careful," she warned him, voice low. "You can't charm everyone." Nai nodded, quieting at once. Simon watched from the window and gave his brother a small, sidelong wave.

"N." It was a testament to how much he was listening that Ne didn't jump. Katrina's expression was mullish but resigned. "You... take care of Keenan."

N nodded. Nai gave his sister a little giggle, his young face abound with delight.

"Whatcha worried about Kat? Nai's done this a thousand, thousand times! He'll be fine!" She smiled a little at this, and gratefully stepped away from N to hug her brother. N noted, oddly disconcerted, that Nai reached her slim waist but little more. He saw the utter bewilderment in his eyes and realized Nai did not know what was happening. To him, this was just another trip a little farther away. Why hadn't they said anything to him?

Zekrom's ball shook, as if he wanted to speak. Nai glanced at it through his sister's hold, the young woman whispering something in his ear that he was barely nodding to. N wrapped his fingers around the ball and held it tightly, waiting. At last, the siblings separated, and Simon exited from where he was watching to stand there. He was tall and impressive still, and he made N mentally cringe even now. Despite that, he found himself unable to doubt the pride that glimmered in those bright blue eyes as he watched his brother. He stepped out, mussed Nai's hair, and promptly dropped a bottle into the boy's waiting hands.

"Two drops, Nai," Simon said gravely, and his brother nodded, little face firm. "Show Mr. N what a breeder boy is like. Show him our Hoenn." Nai saluted at this before tearing away down the path of the house. N followed him a few steps back, looking back at the door. Now that he looked, it almost seemed to blend in with the nearby foliage. It was merely a door in the midst of trees, quickly forgotten as Nai called him forward.

Like it or not, this was his mission. He would go forward and see what humans could be. 


	5. Chapter 4: Lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> X AND Y! Guess why this chapter took so long! Also, I am attempting to make these chapters a bit shorter, and have a bit less going on. Let me know what you think of that! Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. When I get up, I will edit this to have my review replies and any other edits I feel are necessary. Read and review all my quiet followers, for I appreciate you all!

_Chapter 4: Lines_

"Ow!"

Nai jumped to the side of the road, hopping on one foot. He winced and whined. "That got through my shoe!" He let out another cry of pain and then sat down, looking at his foot. He rubbed at it with a sigh as N caught up to him, narrowly avoiding the patch that he must have stepped on. Piku was sniffing at it.

"Are you all right?" N murmured. "Looked like that hurt..." He examined the ground, noticing something yellow imbedded in the dirt. It sparked a little near his fingertips.  _I swear I've seen that before..._

Nai nodded, rubbing his heel through his sock. "Just stung Nai's foot a bit," he said in a low mumble. "What is it, Piku?"

The Pikachu sniffed again and scowled.  _"Smells burnt. Burnt thread."_

Nai frowned. "Like... human thread?"

" _Silky thread,"_  the Pokemon corrected. Nai nodded and picked himself up.

"We'll have to just watch our steps, right Mister N?"

N smiled. Those words kindled a little amusement. "We just might."

Nai grinned at him and trotted on.

...

"Come on, Mr. N! You're all the way back  _there_!"

N blinked, pulled from his thoughts by the little boy with the backpack. Nai waved at him looking fully recovered, Piku still perched on his head. The mouse seemed to be dozing, though how he could doze on the bouncy body of Nai was beyond him. Nai had stopped walking, thankfully, and was kneeling by a bush, so it was easy to catch up with him. The boy was looking into the leaves and chittering a high, peppy noise.

"Nai, what are you doing?"

The boy looked up at him and said, with all the childlike expectation in the world, "Nai is calling Zoom!"

N blinked, pulling his hair back to behave itself under his hat. "... Zoom?"

He nodded and made the noise again."Nai's hatched Zoom and his family! Every single one!" Piku squeaked at him and Nai corrected himself. "Almost all of them!"

In truth, that gave N about as good of an answer as no answer at all. However, he watched the bush as it rustled. From the branches popped out a black and brown furry head. It yipped at Nai and Nai reached out his child hands. N almost cringed, because he had seen so many young children, himself included at one time, be scratched up by a wild Pokemon.

Yet Nai was nothing to worry about. He lifted the creature from the branches and hugged it tight. The creature licked his cheek and then squirmed, dropping to the ground. "Mister N, this is Zoom, a Zigzagoon."

Now, N could smile. This was something he was good at. He knelt to sit on the ground, as he would have with the Poochyena, or Piku, if Piku was actually social. The little creature snuffled and Nai giggled at whatever he had said.

"Hello, Zoom," he said quietly. He did not reach out his hands, because, he had realized over a long time, larger human hands were more frightening than child hands, but merely sat there. Zoom snuffled again and sniffed. Then, with what looked like a shrug of forepaws, he padded over, climbing to rest himself near N's knees. He wasn't entirely sure the Pokemon was male, but the pitch of the yipping seemed to say yes, it was.

The snuffling continued until N found his hand being sniffed by a wet, black nose.  _"Hullo,_ " said the creature, and N felt his shoulders sag with relief. He heard that.  _"Yer Nai's friend, yeah?"_

N smiled slowly, scratching at the side of Zoom's head. "I suppose..." he allowed, looking at Nai, surprised to find him no longer near either of them, but sitting nearby, looking up into the trees with bright-eyed curiosity. Piku had woken and was following his gaze. His black eyes were narrowed and the sharp tail lashed back and forth as he stared. N thought there was something unusual about that gaze but, as Nai seemed not to be doing anything disquieting, he decided to focus on scratching Zoom further.

" _An' Nai's yer friend, yeah?"_ Zoom prodded. N, startled, looked down at the Pokemon's light gnawing at his index finger.  _"Kid looked after me, ya know, hatched me an' muh bruthers by his lonesome, he did. First ones he hatched. Course,"_ the creature grinned.  _"Was right poor at it, he was. But he got better. Like yer gonna get better."_

"There's something wrong with me?" N figured at that moment that his own problems must really be obvious if a stranger Pokemon notices. He really wasn't good at lying, was he?

The creature snorted, confirming his suspicions.  _"There's a lot wrong with everybody, but yeah, yer a treat, buddy. Even Nai knows, and Nai ain' exactly smart."_

"He... he isn't?" Nai was  _innocent_ , certainly, but he displayed a rather frightening amount of wisdom and knowledge with Pokemon, things unheard of in his travels.

Zoom yawned.  _"Human standards would call him an idiot. But humans have der standards of smart, and we got ours an' I still say he's a right pup in the brain."_

N scratched his head. Was Zoom insulting Nai or praising him? It didn't seem like it mattered to the raccoon, but why would he say it if it didn't matter?

Perhaps Pokemon had just as many oddities as humans.

Nai wandered back to him, still keeping his turquoise eyes on Piku and the tree. He remained quiet, barring a drumming of his fingers against his left pant leg. N wanted to speak, but before he could open his mouth, Piku shot up the tree and there was a sudden grinding squeak. Nai didn't blink, but suddenly Piku let out a hissing growl. The tree began to smoke with electricity and Nai lifted his head.

"Piku! Don't burn down the trees! The other Pokemon need those." There was a pout in those words, buried deep, but barring that, the boy seemed focused, if not completely calm. N didn't recognize the expression, not at first because he didn't think it was real. Not from Nai, who seemed innocent and kind.

There was a hard gleam in those eyes, an expectation.

" _Go on! You can do it! Kick his butt Oshawott!"_

The expectation of a Trainer to win a battle.

"Nai...?"

Zoom placed a paw on N's leg.  _"Shush it, ya great kid. He's concentratin'."_

Nai seemed to pay him no attention anyway, since Piku came flying from the tree, paws wrapped around a struggling pink worm.  _"Gotcha, ya brat,"_ the mouse grumbled, glowing at the cold black eyes. Then he yelped as tiny fangs sank into his paw, slapping the worm away with his tail.  _"Now stay still and get caught like a good little idiot."_

" _And be like one of that kid's breedin' projects?"_ the worm spat, and N, to his horror, understood this. He understood these words too well.  _"Eat poison ya great forest fire!"_ Opening his tiny mouth, purple needles fired at Piku.

Piku rolled his eyes.  _"Grow up, man."_  He swung his tail and knocked them out of the air.  _"Yer a grub, not some hero of justice. Shocking humans ain't cool."_

" _And serving them is, huh?"_

Nai made a small noise and the Pokemon's head turned and he fired a spray of needles again. Zoom leaped from N's hands and knocked the boy over, allowing them to graze over his shoulder. Nai made another noise. "That was really rude, Wurmple!"

Piku's response to the attack was a lot worse. He proceeded to shock the worm to the point where it screeches turned unintelligible. Nai rummaged through his bag during this, having sat up without any concern whatsoever. He pulled out a Pokeball.

N froze. "Nai?"

Nai glanced at him now, and tilted his head. "Nai can't leave him out here hurt like this Mister N, even if he hurt Nai's shoe. Plus he'll keep shocking people." He threw the ball and it pulled the screaming Pokemon inside. The ball shook and shook, going still like it was the one defeated, not the Pokemon inside it. Nai just nodded, solemn, and picked it up, turning to walk again.

All N could think of was his childhood, of the whimpering creatures he had called friends.

…

Mister N was very quiet.

Nai thought the man was in shock.

Piku thought he was an idiot. Piku was so silly.

Nai guessed Mister N hated Pokemon battles. That was okay, he supposed. It wasn't helpful, though, or as Simon said,  _realistic._ (Such a big, grown-up word. Who came up with it anyways?) And Pokemon did battle because they wanted to most of the time. Badges only were signs of respect, not some magical controlling device. Well, they weren't now, anyway. So if they didn't want to, they wouldn't fight. That was how he saw it anyway. Besides, Mister N carried Pokeballs too. So he had caught them before. And his Pokemon were really nice!

Nai was confused.

"Oldale is up thereaway!" He said to fill the silence that was Mister N thinking. Zoom yipped at him, grinning from where he trotted near the boy's foot. "Does Zoom still dig around in trash bags for berries?"

" _Nah. People just drop them and their potions and stuff everywhere!"_

"Shouldn't Zoom give them back?"

"Not everyone speaks Zoom, Nai," the racoon said in a grave voice. Nai giggled his disbelief but even N, in his thoughts, could hear the strange detachment from the noise.

However, Nai did not turn to look at him when he laughed. He just held the Wurmple's ball gently in one hand and away from Piku's lunging front paws.

Nai was waiting for Mister N to yell, to be angry. He wouldn't be Kat angry, Nai could tell that much at least. However, he would be unhappy with Nai, and the boy knew how to deal with angry people. He just had to smile and not take it too close. Besides, it was very scary to see a Hoenn trainer fight. They had to fight differently from most trainers these days. It was in that big old handbook that Simon had made him read.

He continued to wait for Mister N to speak.

When he didn't, Nai only smiled wider and sped up his pace. Even though this journey was kind of short and he had way too much stuff for it, it was long enough for Mister N to calm down. Probably.

"Here we are!" Nai sang out with a smile, waving at the shopkeeper sweeping away tracks of trainer dirt. The man waved back at Nai. However, when he caught sight of N, he flinched. N broke from his thoughts to notice this and flinched, but Nai didn't do much more than grin back at N. "Don't worry, Mister N, that guy's a little bit wary of strangers since thieves are always trying to break into his shop."

He practically skipped on through the small town. N didn't give a reply to Nai, though at least now he was looking around him instead of staring at Nai all the time. That just got weird!

"Don't worry, Mister N," Nai continued to chatter. "We'll be at the Pokemon Center tonight, because we have to wait for the client. Then Nai will walk them back to their home in Petalburg and we will be done."

"Whuh-why?" N coughed when Nai stopped to look at him. "Why are you walking them back I mean, and not leaving their Pokemon in their hands?"

"Umu," Nai said, and the boy frowned a little. Maybe Piku was right... and Mister N wasn't as smart as Nai thought. He was kind of slow, Nai knew that, but he thought the duties of a full-time breeder were in writing somewhere. "Cause if they're bad together, Nai has to make sure they can work well together or separate them. Or bad things happen."

N nodded, but Nai could tell he didn't understand. That was okay. He didn't think the man was actually thinking about it anyway.

Nai wanted to sigh. But heroes (and most importantly, Nais) did not sigh. They held their heads up high and proud, and showed the world that they could handle a lot of things. Good things, lukewarm things, and even sad things.

Nais could handle anything.

They just had to.

…

N did notice what was going on around him, but he didn't give it quite the concern it merited. He knew he should, but at the moment, he was thinking of Nai.

He was thinking of Pokemon battles and how much he had been taught to hate them.

He had been raised to believe Trainers were the embodiment of Pokemon evil because of such battles. And the fighting Nai had demonstrated, with so little reaction, and Piku's harshness, didn't that prove all he had been taught to believe? Didn't it go against everything  _they_  had done for their Pokemon? Especially to such an angry, misunderstood creature.

Yet Zoom, a wild Pokemon in some sense, seemed perfectly unperturbed by the events he had seen, and in fact, seemed to treat Nai with good cheer because of it. N didn't grasp this.

He wished he could have spoken to the Pokemon. Perhaps it would have been a biased conversation, but it would have helped him feel better.

Now that he thought about it, maybe that was the problem. He only listened to the Pokemon. He didn't want to talk to Nai.

How could he look after someone he didn't understand?

"Mister N! Nai is going to take a nap!" The boy's words were marginally quieter in the little room they sat in now, but still seemed jarringly loud. "Would you like to play with Poochy?"

N hesitated, before nodding. "... Certainly."

Nai released the little pup at once, and it tackled N's chest with a tiny growl. N did smile a little, and saw Nai looking at him with a tilted head. Then the boy only shrugged and rolled onto the small bed, burrowing under the covers almost fully dressed and pleased with himself. Without hesitation, Piku moved to lay over the child's head and Zoom nestled himself against Nai's chest.

If he wasn't so confused, N would have been touched by the image. As it was, he wanted to talk to someone, someone wise, perhaps Zekrom. But the Pokemon remained in his ball and did not shake it to indicate he wanted out.

So N sat on the floor and pet the Poochyena.

He wasn't sure if he needed to think more, or stop thinking altogether.

Understanding was harder to come by than he imagined.


End file.
